Torvosaurus

[fern]

Torvosaurus

ZooTek Phoenix

Click Site name to reach the download

Author: Moondawg

Keywords: extinct animals, dinosaurs

Date Released: Jan 28 2009

Current TorvosaurusMD_2009.ztd dated 5 January 2009

File Size: 10.67mb

Compatibility: DD and CC

Description: Torvosaurus (TORE-vo-SORE-us) was a giant carnivorous dinosaur, relatively similar in appearance to Tyrannosaurus although it had larger 'arms' and a bulky body.
It lived about 145 million years ago, in the late Jurassic Period of what is now North America and Portugal. It reached 10 to 12 meters (33 to 40 feet) in length and an estimated weight of 2 to 3 tonnes (2 to 3 tons), which made it the largest carnivore of its time, unless Epanterias (possibly just a big Allosaurus) truly existed in large numbers.

Fossilized remains of Torvosaurus have been found in North America and Portugal. Torvosaurus reached 9 to 11 meters (30 to 36 ft) in length and an estimated weight of about 2 metric tons (2.2 tons), which made it the largest carnivore of its time, except for possibly Epanterias (perhaps just a big Allosaurus) and Saurophaganax.

It was first discovered by James A. Jensen and Kenneth Stadtman in the rocks of the Morrison Formation at the Dry Mesa Quarry, Colorado in 1972. The genus and the type species T. tanneri were named and described in 1979 by Peter M. Galton and Jensen. The type specimen from Colorado was further described by Brooks Britt, and the Portuguese specimen by O. Mateus and M.T. Antunes.

Torvosaurus, while the largest predator of the Morrison Formation, was likely not the top predator, instead giving way to the packs of nearly as large Allosaurus that were far more common. The 8m Ceratosaurus also competed for prey, though it likely was a solitary or small group hunter and not much more common than Torvosaurus.

The size of Torvosaurus is not definitely known, because only incomplete material has been found, but it was a large theropod. North American Torvosaurus material is estimated as belonging to an individual about 9.0 meters long (29 ft), with a weight of about 1.95 metric tons (2.15 tons). Material from Portugal indicates even larger animals. In 2006 a nearly complete maxilla found in Portugal was assigned to Torvosaurus tanneri. It measured 63 cm in length (2.13 ft), significantly larger than the 47 cm (1.54 ft) long maxilla of the American specimen (total skull length 118 cm 3.87 ft). Based on this, a skull length of 158 cm (5.18 ft) was estimated for the Portuguese specimen. This is comparable to the largest T. rex skulls, and makes Torvosaurus the largest known Jurassic theropod (surpassing Saurophaganax/Allosaurus maximus and Edmarka), and among the largest of all theropods. A partial femur from another individual belongs to an animal estimated as 11 m (36 ft) long.

[fern]

Additional info:

TorvosaurusMD_2009.ztd                                 uca: 1B998060 dated 5 January 2009

Results From Configuration Checking:

1b998060.uca date: Mon Jan 05 18:07:32 2009
No Errors or Warnings to show.
Animal Type: 1B998060

Torvosaurus

Fossilized remains of Torvosaurus have been found in North America and
Portugal.
    (plus 24 other paragraphs)

Animal Characteristics:

Habitat: Coniferous Forest; Location: North America; Era: Jurassic
Minimum happiness needed for chance of breeding: 97.
Animal can jump.
Animal can climb cliffs.
Cannot be used in original Zoo Tycoon: cKeeperFoodType (7) is not 0 to 5.

Exhibit Preferences:

Foliage:
Lodgepole Pine Tree, Fir Tree, Pine Tree, Yew Tree, Spruce Tree
Yellow Cedar Tree, Western Red Cedar Tree, Chinese Fir Tree, Pine Bush
Club Moss Shrub (DD), Walchian Conifer Tree (DD), Thouarsus Cycad Tree (DD)
Dawn Redwood Tree (DD), Lepidodendron Tree (DD), Monkey Puzzle Tree (DD)
Norfolk Island Pine Tree (DD)

Rocks:
Large Rock, Large Rock - 1, Large Rock - 2, Large Rock - 3, Large Rock - 4
Small Rock - Medium, Small Rock - Small, Small Rock - 7, Small Rock - 8
Small Rock - 9, Coniferous Forest Rock - Formation
Medium Coniferous Rock (DD)

Exhibit Construction:

Number of animals allowed per exhibit: 1-3 with 80 squares for each adult.

Exhibit size (for 2 adults): 160 grid squares

Terrain (for exhibit with 160 grid squares):
112 Coniferous Floor, 8 Rainforest Floor, 8 Fresh Water, 32 Grass

Foliage (for exhibit with 160 grid squares):
8 grid squares should contain foliage.
Foliage that would give the most happiness: Walchian Conifer Tree (DD)
Since this is a small plant, greatest happiness will occur
if each of the 8 grid squares contains 4 of this plant.

Rocks (for exhibit with 160 grid squares):
13 Small Rock - Small, which is its most liked rock.

Elevation: Of the 160 squares, 4 nonadjacent squares should be elevated.